This article is written to raise awareness of an incident that occurred in May of 2009 that involved a representative of EQ/CA.  This incident should raise a concern and be recognized.  EQ/CA advertise efforts to support and encourage equality for all.  There is an issue with a management decision that has turned out to be unequal, segregationist, discriminatory, and bigoted.

This decision was/is based on an effort to appease a minor few and to just “save face” and worry about any possible blemishes to someones vanity.  No effort was made to mitigate their fears nor any efforts to stand up for the benefit of other minorities.  No attempt was made for other options of  accommodation, alternatives, mitigation, concessions, consideration, cooperation, and working with and around a problem issue were provided for, even though suggested and offered by a volunteer individual.

The situation, as described, was that these few chose to hide behind one of EQ/CA’s instead of taking their concern and worries directly to the person they had issues with; person to person, face to face, one to one.  The EQ/CA person enabled their evil hiding and took on the role of go-between, creating a bad situation for all.  The EQ/CA person should have refused to do their dirty work for them.

A phone call was placed on Monday evening, May the 17^th, (the volunteer individual's birthday) by the local EQ/CA representative informing the volunteer individual that, quote, “WE decided that YOU should have nothing to do with the event!” unquote.  A reply was made, quote, “O.K. I will back off.  I will have nothing to do with the event.  Good bye.” unquote.

There are now organizations that have presented themselves as being anti-prisoner, anti-ex-prisoner, anti-ex-prisoner rehabilitation, anti-ex-prisoner restitution, anti-ex-prisoner restoration, and anti-ex-prisoner recovery; siding with restricting and preventing any support for those who are striving to turn their lives around and improving themselves.

The way in which this was done is the issue that should be revealed as a wrong.  An activist will speak up and speak out about this wrong.  A mistake was made and not corrected; damage done and repair not attempted.
A volunteer individual has had feelings hurt, injured, bleeding inside, and the hurt won't go away.  The concerted effort at turning their life around and contributing to the community has been set back by several years.
This is an outright rejection.  On many volunteer programs the volunteer individual would work in the background; for Expression Not Suppression and support for the Lavender Prom.  They take none and expect no recognition for their work and efforts.  They shy away from publicity, even keeping their likeness to minimum exposure.

The volunteer individual joined with others in coming up with the idea of having a picnic for the upcoming first ever California designated recognition day for Harvey Milk.  The volunteer individual promoted the idea and let others know that the volunteer individual would be willing to volunteer to co-chair the event.  The volunteer individual also helped develop and support the idea of making the picnic a “family picnic” wanting to invite everyone and anyone.
It was advertised and promoted as an open public equality for all event.  It did not turn out that way.
The recruitment for volunteers included young people who turned the event into an event for the youth – making it an exclusive event.  The youth have other events that are for the youth;  Expression Not Suppression (where there is a period of time that all adults are deliberately excluded from a meeting) and the Lavender Prom ( an event where the adults are supposed to be limited to being chaperones).

The outright rejection led to removing the volunteer individual from the event.  People would not know where they were or what they were doing.  If the volunteer individual had been at the event, people would have known exactly where they were and exactly what they were doing.
When the volunteer individual went over to the park for a visual inspection (they had never been to the area before), they saw and identified three (3) individuals that were known to be registrants.  Two having a conversation and one recycling. The volunteer individual would have been able to alert picnic participants to any problem areas that should have been monitored.
Where are the parents that are supposed to be paying attention to their kids safety?  Child neglect is a felony, making the parents criminals.  That means criminals were welcome and encouraged to attend.
This was at an open public park with open access available to whoever wanted to show up.
There were no provisions to reserve space – it was first come, first served and no securing an exclusive area.

There are 18,000 registrants, 3,500 sex registrants just in the city of Fresno.  There is a percentage that have recovered from their problems.  These people are subjected to extreme bias, discrimination, and bigotry based on uneducated/under-education, outright fear of a pigeon-hole label.  Those that force their fear onto others are deliberately and forcefully restricting, nonsupporting, and preventing any kind of restitution and/or recovery for the small minority trying to get back to sensible living.

Not by words of assurances but by actions the volunteer individual tried to demonstrate return to the community and recovery from previous indiscretions.  The volunteer individual is involved in volunteering efforts in 20 different areas for the past five (5) years.  They have changed over to a different person, leaving far behind an old shell.  The previous person is now long ago and far away.

Many individuals in this community know of the volunteer individual's past and have allowed some leeway in helping projects out.  There are a very small few that can not seem to tolerate even the  presence much less efforts to provide/prove attempts at recovery (turning their life around) and contributing efforts to the community.  A volunteer individual was singled out and used as a scapegoat.  The actions of the EQ/CA representative indicated an effort to pigeon-hole the individual into a label; then prejudice and vicious bigotry attacks the label and is used to cover fear and ignorance.

Those who have been attacked in the past have an ire to be an attacker; to “get back”, to “get even”.  They cover up their ignorant fears that they should deal with in therapy but can't because they need to hide from them in order to support their great need to continue making themselves their own victims of their victimization, dumping their personal excess baggage on the general public.  We should not be providing them with recovery counseling.  We are not qualified professionals.  In every instance of their complaints there is not one that have provided anything other than lip service to the community.  They have become addicted to the perceived benefits of sympathy, pity, and attention they equate with being a “victim”.  It's an excuse used to vindicate their actions land rhetoric, which can lead some to act as vigilantes.  They require a scapegoat to vent their anger, discrimination, and bigotry and prevent anyone from trying to turn their lives around and give to Society.

One should face responsibility and be held accountable for actions.
The author can be reached through racheljoy6@hotmail.com.